Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Women’s Featherweight

1. Amanda Nunes (18-4)

Nunes continued to make her case as the female “GOAT” at UFC 239, where she patiently waited for an opening before dispatching Holly Holm with a head kick and follow-up punches 4:10 into the opening stanza of their co-main event encounter at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. That makes nine consecutive victories for “Lioness,” including six in title bouts. With a resume that also includes wins over the likes of Cristiane Justino, Valentina Shevchenko (twice), Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate and Germaine de Randamie, the next task is simply finding a suitable challenge for the two-division champion. After Justino parted ways with the UFC, Nunes was booked against de Randamie in a bantamweight title tilt at UFC 245 on Dec. 14.

2. Cristiane Justino (21-2)

It was only natural to wonder how “Cyborg” would fare coming off her first defeat in more than 13 years, but the heavy-handed Brazilian bounced back nicely at UFC 240, earning a unanimous decision victory against Felicia Spencer in the evening’s co-main event in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on July 27. It was the last fight on Justino’s UFC deal, and shortly thereafter promotion head Dana White confirmed that he was “out of the Cyborg business,” clearing the way for the ex-champ to join another organization. Justino then took that opportunity to re-unite with ex-Strikeforce boss Scott Coker in Bellator MMA, where she will immediately challenge Julia Budd for featherweight gold on Jan. 25.

3. Julia Budd (13-2)

Budd continued to display her newfound penchant for finishing fights at Bellator 224, as she wiped out the previously unbeaten Olga Rubin at the 2:14 mark of Round 1 in the evening’s headliner in Thackerville, Okla., on June 12. The 36-year-old “Jewel” extended her winning streak to 11 with the fastest stoppage of her career and has now finished three of her last four foes under the Bellator banner. Budd will face her biggest test since Ronda Rousey when she defends her 145-pound belt against new signee Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Jan. 25.

4. Arlene Blencowe (12-7)

Blencowe dispatched Amanda Bell in emphatic fashion at Bellator 224, rocking her opponent with a right hook behind the ear at the outset and sealing her victory with follow-up punches just 22 seconds after the contest began. “Angerfist” has won five of her last six outings, but considering that her career resume includes a pair of losses to reigning Bellator featherweight queen Julia Budd, a title shot could be difficult to come by until “The Jewel” is dethroned. Up next, Blencowe will square off against UFC veteran Leslie Smith at Bellator 233.

5. Holly Holm (12-5)

Give Holm and her team credit: “The Preacher’s Daughter” has maximized her marketability during her UFC tenure. However, Holm’s run may be nearing its end. The Jackson-Wink MMA stalwart never got going against Amanda Nunes in the UFC 239 co-headliner, as she fell victim to her own signature move – a head kick – at the 4:10 mark of the opening stanza. Since her monumental upset of Ronda Rousey, Holm is 0-4 in UFC title bouts. Holm was slated to rematch Raquel Pennington at UFC 243 in Melbourne, but the Jackson-Wink MMA product had to pull out of the matchup due to injury.

6. Felicia Spencer (7-1)

Spencer saw her unblemished record fall by the wayside at UFC 240, as she lost a clear-cut unanimous decision to former featherweight queen Cristiane Justino in the evening’s co-headliner. There was a lot to like from the ex-Invicta champion, however, as she cut “Cyborg” with a slashing elbow in the opening stanza and made her opponent work in the clinch. Additionally, Spencer showcased a solid chin in absorbing numerous heavy punching combinations from “Cyborg.” The 28-year-old “Feenom” can take consolation in surviving the full three rounds against the Brazilian knockout artist, but she may need a few wins before she can call herself a true title contender at 145 pounds.

7. Megan Anderson (10-4)

Faced with a relatively unheralded opponent, Anderson performed as expected at UFC 243, as she took down Zarah Fairn dos Santos and mounted her before eventually securing a fight-ending triangle choke in the opening stanza. The former Invicta FC titlist is now 2-2 within the Las Vegas-based promotion, and if the featherweight division remains intact following Cristiane Justino’s exit to Bellator, the 29-year-old Aussie will continue to be on the short list of contenders at 145 pounds.

8. Jessy Miele (9-3)

Miele won her fourth consecutive bout at Bellator 231, as she battled to a split decision triumph over former title challenger Talita Nogueira on Oct. 25. “The Widowmaker” also boasts a recent win over four-time UFC veteran Elizabeth Phillips on her resume and has finished six of her nine career triumphs inside the distance. More importantly, she has emerged as an interesting new contender in a shallow Bellator 145-pound weight class.

9. Talita Nogueira (7-2)

Nogueira began her professional MMA career with seven consecutive triumphs, a streak that included a first-round submission of Amanda Bell in her Bellator debut. That earned the Brazilian a title shot, where she was finished by reigning featherweight queen Julia Budd in the third stanza at Bellator 202. “Treta” returned to action a little more than a year later with more disappointing results, as she dropped a split verdict to Jessy Miele at Bellator 231 for her second consecutive defeat.

10. Olga Rubin (6-1)

Rubin looked overmatched in her bid for featherweight gold against Julia at Bellator 224. Budd put the Israeli fighter in retreat mode with a kick to the body early in their headlining bout, and with Rubin in obvious distress, the reigning champion sealed her victory with a series of punches and a clinch knee at the 2:14 mark of Round 1. For Rubin, there’s no shame in suffering her first career defeat to the likes of Budd, who extended her winning streak to 11 and ranks among the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world. “Big Bad” will return to action against Sinead Kavanagh at Bellator 234 on Nov. 14.

Other Contenders: Pam Sorenson, Kaitlin Young, Amanda Bell, Cindy Dandois, Jessica Borga.

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